The charges were dropped against a mercenary leader and others

NPR’s State of Ukraine: The War Between Ukraine and Russia in the Early 1900s and the Emergence of Ukraine’s Cold War

Here, you can read the past recaps. For context and more in-depth stories, you can find more of NPR’s coverage here. You can get updates throughout the day on NPR’s State of Ukraine show.

A group of African leaders traveled to Ukraine and Russia on what they described as a “peace mission,” but their meetings with leaders of both countries ended without any visible progress.

The situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is “critical” because of the Ukrainian counteroffensive and the loss of the Kakhovka Reservoir, according to the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The United Nations put Russian forces on its list of shame for killing 136 children in Ukraine last year, as well as injuring hundreds more kids and attacking schools.

The U.S. and allies pledged more than one billion dollars of non- military aid for the country. The EU will donate more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in military aid to Ukraine according to the European Union’s foreign policy chief.

The Pentagon underestimated how much weaponry it sent toUkraine by $6.2 billion, and will use the excess money to make weapons cuts in the future.

In this month’s counteroffensive, nine villages have been taken back from Russian forces. Russia says it has stopped the Ukrainians’ attacks. British military officials estimate that both sides are suffering heavy casualties.

Prigozhin’s mercenaries led a short-lived revolt in Russia. PrigoZHin accused Sergei Shoigu of trying to destroy Wagner and ordering a missile strike against the group in Ukraine, which is fighting on Russia’s behalf. The forces took control of a southern city and then proceeded to march toward Moscow. The rebellion was called off after Prigozhin agreed to grant amnesty and exile in another country.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1181901001/russia-ukraine-war-news-prigozhin-wagner

Putin drops charges against Prigozhin and other whose-who-took-part-in-brief-rebelli leaders–and-the-Russia’s military

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visits Lithuania on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for an upcoming NATO summit there. The prime minister of Estonia will have talks with the NATO Secretary General on Wednesday.

The leader of the Russian company said on Monday that the leadership of the country proposed solutions which would allow the company to operate in a legal jurisdiction.

It was not known if he could keep his mercenary force. Putin stated that Prigovyhlin’s fighters could either come under Russia’s Defense Ministry’s command or leave service.

Putin thanked the team over the weekend for their work, suggesting support for Shoigu. Earlier, the authorities released a video of Shoigu reviewing troops in Ukraine.

In a show of control and stability, the Kremlin on Monday showed Putin meeting with top law enforcement and military officials such as Sergei Shoigu.

In a defiant audio statement, Prigozhin defended his actions. He again taunted the Russian military but said he hadn’t been seeking to stage a coup against Putin.

Prigozhin’s short-lived insurrection over the weekend — the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule in more than two decades in power — has rattled Russia’s leadership.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/27/1184462527/russia-drops-charges-against-prigozhin-and-others-who-took-part-in-brief-rebelli

An armed mutiny and the disappearance of the mercenary commander Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus

A business jet is said to have arrived in the country on Tuesday morning.

The whereabouts of Prigozhin remained a mystery Tuesday, The Kremlin has said Prigozhin would be exiled to neighboring Belarus, but neither he nor the Belarusian authorities have confirmed that.

The charge of mounting an armed mutiny carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison. Prigozhin escaping prosecution poses a stark contrast to how the Kremlin has been treating those staging anti-government protests.

The criminal investigation into the armed rebellion, led by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been closed and no charges have been brought against him.

The Federal Security Service, or FSB, said its investigation found that those involved in the mutiny “ceased activities directed at committing the crime.”